Jason Freese: Soft Synths Versus JP-80
Jason Freese (Green Day, Jewel and Watershow) discusses the place for soft synths and hardware for composing and performance and why he prefers the Fantom-G8 and Jupiter-80.
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Artists
Mike Scaccia: My Pedals
From Country to Metal, Ministry guitarist Mike Scaccia discusses his minimal approach to playing guitar.
His gear of choice mentioned in the video:
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Jeremy Dawson: Social Media for Bands
Shiny Toy Guns pioneered the use of social media during their formative years. In this video, Jeremy discusses how successful bands are currently using social media and strategies for effectively engaging with their fan base. If you’re in a band, you don’t want to miss this.
Also, new from Shiny Toy Guns — “Loverunner” video premiers today on VEVO More
Serj Tankian: My Creative Process
On Friday, July 13 we caught up with Serj Tankian at his Harakiri Release Party to discuss his new album and his creative work flow. He shares with us his writing process, his use of loops, and his use of the iPad for developing songs. Serj also mentions his iPad application, “I Am Serj,” that fans and musicians can download from the iTunes app store. The app allows you to remix and dissect songs from three of his solo albums, including his newest release Harakiri.
Harakiri, Serj’s newest solo album (Reprise Records/Serjical Strike), is the follow up to 2010′s acclaimed Imperfect Harmonies. The album is the third solo release from the System Of A Down frontman. Serj produced Harakiri himself at his home studio in Los Angeles. Here he discusses how the record came about and his thoughts on solo projects by musicians in general.
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Omar Tavarez (Pitbull): Survival Tips for Drummers
Omar Tavarez, drummer and musical director (MD) for Pitbull talks about how to stay healthy through a rigorous touring schedule. vitamins, stretching, exercise, and how having a great mental state all play a role according to Omar. More
Jeremy Dawson: My Advice to New Bands
Jeremy Dawson of Shiny Toy Guns recalls how being a “Yes” band has helped seize opportunities to play in the biggest shows. His advise to new and existing bands comes from his personal experience from touring the world. He stresses the importance of having a work-sleep balance and having personal time. According to Jeremy, “You will self destruct” if you do not make this a priority.
On their new album titled III, Shiny Toy Guns employs the sounds of the Jupiter-50, Jupiter-80, and Fantom-G7 and recording on an R-1000 48-track recorder.
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Aaron Rossi on how to land a gig like Ministry
Aaron Rossi, drummer for Ministry tells us what it takes to land a gig like his in the ever changing and competitive music industry. This is practical advise given by a world class drummer, according to Rossi the key is consistency. Rossi’s current set up includes Roland’s SPD-SX to trigger samples during sets.
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Mike Scaccia – How I Got My Tone
Mike Scaccia of Ministry discusses how he we went from cranking his guitar amps to full blast in his Punk Rock/ Metal days to bringing it down a few notches under the guidance of Al Jourgensen to find his tone.
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Aaron Spears Checks His Timing on the TD-15KV
On break from the 2012 BET Awards rehearsal, Aaron Spears checks his timing on a TD-15KV. Backing him up is none other than legendary band mate and music director of Usher’s band, Valdez Brantley.
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Downtime with Russell Graham at BET Awards Rehearsal
We took sometime with Russell Graham on his break from rehearsals for the 2012 BET Awards to discuss his set-up and work flow. He explains the challenges involved with live TV productions and accommodating various artist on the same show. According to Russell, he’s keeping it simple for the awards by using a VP-770 and two JUPITER-80s.
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